Truck plate corner structure



Oct. 14, 1958 v o. s. M GUFFEY TRUCK PLATE CORNER STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 12, 1955 INVENTOR. ORION $.McGUFFEY M221, My;

ATTORNEYS Oct. 14, 1958 o. s. MOGUFFEY TRUCK LATE CORNER STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 12, 19.55

I l lll-llllll INVENTOR. ORTON s. Mc GUFFEY ATTO RNEYS TRUCK PLATE CORNER STRUCTURE Orton S. McGulfey, Lansing, Mich., assignor to Tranter Manufacturing, Inc., Lansing, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application September 12, 1955, Serial No. 533,683

' 2 Claims. (Cl. 62-439) Thepresent invention relates to an improvement in a corner structure for a refrigerated hold-over plate for trucks and the like, and, more particularly, to an improved corner structure for such a cold storage plate by which the plate as a whole is greatly improved.

'-In the manufacture of refrigerated hold-over plates for trucks and the like, which are constituted by a refrigerating coil mounted internally of a sealed sheet metal casing otherwise filled by a liquid solution adapted to be frozen solid upon the circulation of a refrigerant medium through the coil, it is customary to dispose a coil within the sheet metal halves of a container or shell, in which the coil is supported by means of appropriate fins, and then to assemble the halves of the shell together to complete the outer casing of the plate. Difiiculty has been experienced in this procedure in preserving a proper alignment and spacing of the external extremities of the coil, which are adapted to be connected to refrigerator fittings for the freezing of the solution which occupies the remainder of the shell. Regardless of the degree of care exercised, and the use of appropriate fixtures for the purpose, there is an inevitable springing of the coil ends which leaves them out of proper alignment and/or spacing after the hold-over plate has been completed by welding the corner from which the coil ends extend.

Furthermore, the welding procedure at this corner, involving the formation of a seam about a pair of relatively closely spaced coil extremities and the butt jointing of the halves of the shell members at the corner, is a very complex one and aften requires reworking and a considerable expenditure of time to produce an acceptable joint.

Still further, damage to plates has resulted on occa- .sion due to the bumping against one plate of the plug which closes a filling opening for .a eutectic solution in a side ,wall of an adjacent, stacked plate, so that it is necessary to employ suitable protective separator means to prevent damage of this sort.

The corner connection of existing storage plates of the character under consideration has always presented some degree of difiiculty in regard to the dropping of the temperature of the eutectic solution in the same. Thus, whereas it is at all times desirable to freeze the eutectic solution within the shell of the plate from the margins thereof towards the center, the circulating coil connections at the corner have interfered with this result in that particular zone so that true perimeer freezing is hard to attain.

-It is therefore an object of the invention to overcome these difficulties by providing an improved corner structure for a refrigerated hold-over storage plate for trucks and the like which, in accordance with the invention, is in the form of a rigidsteel casting providing a relatively massive mounting body of thick, block-like cross section, shaped to fit into and to be securely welded to a 45 cutoff corner of a standard type of streamlined truck holdover plate.

A cast corner unit of this character, as contemplated I United States Patent ice by the invention, will afford a pair of longitudinally aligned nipples or fittings which receive the respective intake and discharge termini of the circulatory evaporator coil received in the shell of the plate. This retains those coil ends in rigid relation to one another and to the remainder of the coil, which is otherwise sustained on finned supports within the shell.

The intake and discharge fittings communicate through the solid body of the casting with appropriate tapped bosses which will receive the usual fittings or couplings through which a refrigerating agent is circulated through the evaporator of the hold-over plate during the freezing of the eutectic solution with which the interior of the plate is filled.

In the assembly of the cast corner unit with the coil and fins between the halves of the shell, the rigid construction of the plate assures a correct alignment of the coil and greatly facilitates the welding of the halves of the shell at the corner to finish sealing the plate; the casting aifords'a heavy and suflicient mass of metal to permit good solid welds to be made and the welding is peripheral in its entirety, rather than complicated by individual welds about individual tube or coil extremities.

An object of the invention is to provide a rigid cast corner construction for a hold-over storage plate which will serve, additionally to the respects noted above, as a marking, the advantages of which will be hereinafter enlarged on.

Finally, it is an object of the invention to provide a plate corner construction which thermally improves the operation of the plate as a whole by enabling optimum perimeter freezing inwardly toward the center of the shell. This is made possible because the integration of the refrigerant connection passages with the entire corner construction of the hold-over plate causes the corner to be as cold or cooler than any other portion of the plate during refrigerating pull-down, due to the good heat conducting path afforded by the cast corner.

The foregoing as well as other objects will be made more apparent as this description proceeds, especially when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a view in side elevation of an improved truck hold-over storage plate in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in longitudinal vertical section along line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevational view of the improved corner of the plate, as viewed along line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of a cast corner unit embodide in the improved plate; and

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the unit of Fig. 4.

First, referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, an improved refrigeration storage or hold-over plate for trucks in accordance with the invention, is generally designated by the reference numeral 10. It consists of a pair of panlike sheet metal shell members 12, 13, having marginal flanges 14 about their periphery, with the exception of a corner zone 15, in which the improved cast steel corner mounting body unit 16 in accordance with the invention is disposed. In this corner zone, the marginal material of the shells 12, 13 is flared outwardly at 17 to define an elongated oblong opening 18 in which the corner unit 16 is received, being rigidly secured in place by welding the flared wall 17 thereto about the entire periphery of the unit 16. Otherwise, the assembly is completed by seam welding the marginal flanges 14 together.

Prior to the welding operations referred to above at;

evaporator unit 19 is disposed within the shells 12, 13. This unit comprises a refrigerant circulating coil 20 arranged in a serpentine outline in general conformity with the outline of the space within the shells, and it will be noted by reference to'Fig. 2 that the serpentine coilin-I cludes passes or reaches 20' in relatively close relation to one another adjacent the marginal Zones of the. shell. This is in the interest of promoting perimeter freezing, whereby a eutectic solution contained in the shell, in which the coil unit 19 is immersed, is first'solidified about the outer perimeter of the shell, freezing progressively inwardly toward the center of the plate.

The coil 29 is appropriately sustained in the shell by means of a finned Supporting structure 21 of more or less: conventional character.

The cast corner unitv 16,. is, per se, illustrated in Figs. 4 and of the darwings. it includes a solid relatively massive body 23 of elongated character and thick, blocklike cross section, provided. with flared or tapered, specially shaped end extremities 24 designed to fit within the flared, opening 18 of the plate shell when the casting 23 is, in proper position. Integral inlet and outlet fittings 25, 26, respectively, are formed on the casting body 23, which are cored out and tapped or otherwise formed at 27 to receive the extremities of the coil 20, as they project at a corner of the coil unit 19, as will be apparent from an inspection of Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.

These fittings provide angular passages '28 which lead through the cast body 23 to further projecting fitting bosses. 29, 39 on the outer side of the body. The bosses 29, 3d are appropriately stamped to indicate their func-. tion of receiving intake and discharge fittings, couplings, or connectors (not shown) by which a refrigerating unit is coupled to the plate in circulating a refrigerating agent through coil unit 19 during a refrigerating pulldown period between successive trips of the plate 10 in a refrigerated truck.

The body 23 of corner unit 16 is also provided, in accordance with the invention, with tapped openings 31, 32 in longitudinally spaced relation to one another, which openings are adapted to be closed by threaded plugs 33 (Fig. 3) when the plate 10 is filled with eutectic solution and ready for use. in filling the interiorof the plate, a filling tube will be connected to one of the holes 31 or 32, while the other hole may be left open or, if desired, connected to an exhaust pump to aid in removing air from the shell and speed the fiow of liquid refrigerant solution into the shell interior, after which plugs 33 are insorted and tightened to seal the contents. It is desirable that provisions be made in this operation, by any expedient known to the art, to insure that the entire volume of the shell is filled with liquid, to the complete exclusion of any air.

As a final feature, the cast corner unit 16 is provided on its outer surface 34, adjacent one end thereof, with a finished code area 35, upon which suitable indicia may be stamped to identify the final product, i. e., plate 10, in regard to the rating thereof, its date of production and test and the character of the eutectic .solution it contains, as well as in reference to the manufacturing personnel who performed the various welding, filling, testing, and inspection operations which attended its production. A coding of this character incorporates the desired details of information, referred to above, in a piece identification, a part of the plate as a whole which is returnable to the manufacturer for replacement of the merchandise only, in effect, by surrender of the entire unit. In explanation of this, instances have occurred in which fraudulent claims for replacement of plates or for reimbursement for alleged unsatisfactoriness, have been based on the return only of a detachable tag; the improved cast corner plate, receiving stamped code indicia as it does, eliminates this sort of possible fraudulent claim.

It is evident that the rigid corner unit 16, having the ends of the coil unit 19 appropriately mounted to its projecting fittings 25, 26 serves as a fixture to align the coils properly and to brace the coil unit 19 as a whole prior to securing the same within-,the shell halves 12, 13. The body 23 of corner member 16 is readily machined as desired in preparing the same for use. It is filleted throughout, as indicated, for example, at 36, in the interest of promoting strength and rigidity, as well as in promoting the heat conductivity of the unit 16.

The ready heat conductivity of the unit constitutes the corner at which is located the coldest portion of the unit it during refrigerating pull-down, completing a conductive path for perimeter freezing about the entire outline of the plate 10. By the same token, the cast body 23 presents a mass of metal of sufficient size to permit a good weld to be made between the fiared margin of the shells 12, 13 and the sides of the body. Arc or gas welding are much more expeditiously and efliciently performed than has been possible in butt seaming shell halves together about the projecting tube or coil extremities.

In the filling of the plate 4 with refrigerant solution, the plate is supported on the corner opposite the improved corner unit 16, with the exposed surface 34 of that unit horizontal. This makes it impossible for air to be trapped within the shell as it fills, even without the. assistance of an exhaust pump applied to one of the tapped openings 31 or 32 to expedite the procedure.

The plate is shipped to the ultimate user bearingpunched or stamped code marks and other identifying indicia which are at a point not subject to ready defacement and not readily concealed in the mounting of the plate.

A further and most important advantage of the construction is that the improved corner unit, in incorporat-- ing the filling holes 31, 32 for refrigerant, eliminates the need for the usual and conventional filler collar and opening in a side wall of the plate. Such filler collar and its flange constitute a side projection which inevitably produces dents in an adjacent plate, when plates are packed together for bulk shipment, as on pallets.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. A heat transfer device for external service connection to a refrigeration device, comprising a hollow shell having a circulatoryv coil supported therein, which coil has adjacent intake and discharge termini, a rigid, relatively massive corner body in the form of a casting of thick, block-like cross section greatly exceeding that of said shell, said body being received in a corner openingin said shell and being perimetrally bonded and sealed in said opening, said body being cored to provide passages to which said coil termini are communicated while held by said body in rigidly spaced relation to one another for assembly in said shell, said intake and discharge passages extending through said body, opening externally of said body at a common external surface of the latter for the reception of a refrigerator circulatory line, said body being provided with a further filler passage through the same and through said surface in lat-- erally spaced relation to said intake and discharge passages, and closure means applied to said passages.

2. A heat transfer device for external service connection to a refrigeration device, comprising a hollow shell having a circulatory coil supported therein, which coil has adjacent intake and discharge termini, a rigid, relatively massive corner body in the form of a casting of thick, block-like cross section greatly exceeding that of'said shell, said body being received in a corner opening in said shell and being perimetrally bonded and sealed in said opening, said body being cored to provide passages to which said coil termini are communicated while held, by said body in rigidly spaced relation to one another for assembly in said shell, said intake and discharge passages extending through said body, opening externally of said body at a common external surface of the latter, for the reception of a refrigerator circulatory line,

said body being provided with a further filler passage through the same and through said surface in laterally spaced relation to said intake and discharge passages, and closure means applied to said passages, said external surface of said body having a code area exposed when 5 said body is applied to the shell. I 1

References Cited in the file of this patent 6 Askin May 8, 1934 Philipp Nov. 26, 1935 Catterlin Aug. 2, 1938 Greene Aug. 6, 1940 MeGufiEey June 30, 1942 

